Season Previews:Cleveland Cavaliers

A quick note: As of this writing the Cavs have not yet re-signed Anderson Varejao or Sasha Pavlovic, but are expected to do so before training camp opens. This preview is written under the assumption that both are re-signed.

本文撰寫之時騎士尚未跟Sasha與Varejao簽約,但是訓練營開始前應該會搞定,這篇預測是假定這兩人都續約留隊。

One cannot even say that the Cavs had a honeymoon of a season last year because the regular season in no way set-up the eventual success this team would see during the playoffs. The Finals sweep notwithstanding, this team had perhaps the most unexpected spring out of any team not located in the Bay Area and all of the credit is due to a 22-year-old veteran going into this fifth NBA season.

我們很難說去年的騎士處在甜蜜期,因為季賽的成績完全無法佐證球隊季後賽的成功。儘管最後被橫掃,騎士還是擁有除了灣區球隊以外最難預期的爆發力,這一切來自一個22歲,打第五個球季的老鳥。

LeBron James continually redefines what one player is capable of in this predominantly team sport. His abuse of Orlando, New Jersey and Detroit last spring was truly an effort worthy of the 'Witness' signs that dominate the landscape at the Quicken Loans Arena. As is the case with any team that rolls through the playoffs in the manner that LeBron…I mean the Cavs did would be foolish to assume he doesn't have it in him…I mean they don't have it in them to do it again. While this team may be no closer to being able to knock off one of the Western powers, one must remember that even Jordan needed six years before he broke through and won his first title.

LBJ不斷重新詮釋個人球員在團隊運動中所能發揮的戰力。去年春天他給魔術、籃網與活塞的屈辱(註:作者講的是去年季後賽之旅,很明顯的他把巫師記成魔術),值得Q球館把「見證者」這個字印起來當地標。就像其他循這種一人模式殺入playoff的球隊一樣……我的意思是騎士總不會笨到以為沒有LBJ也會達到如此成果……騎士依然欠缺打倒任何一支西區強權的力量,但請別忘記球登也需要六年來成長,拿下他的第一個冠軍。

All kidding aside, though, the Cavs as a team caught a lot of people off guard last year and it is somewhat troubling how little they've done this off-season to try and build on that momentum. Their on-again-off-again pursuit of the Kings' Mike Bibby makes a lot of sense from the perspective of Bibby being the perfect compliment to the way the Cavs use James, giving him the primary ball-handling responsibilities and letting the point guard act as more of a finisher. However, if the cost for Bibby is Drew Gooden, then it is a price the Cavs cannot pay. As trendy as Anderson Varejao is these days, he is no where near as well-rounded a player as Gooden, and the Cavs are far better off with the depth they have now up front than importing a potentially over-the-hill point guard that makes such an insane amount of money.

撇開玩笑不提,上季騎士讓許多人跌破眼鏡,相對今年夏天他們維持競爭力的補強卻沒有多少進展。騎士斷斷續續地跟M.Bibby的談判,讓人感到Bibby的到來可能真的帶給LBJ極大的幫助,他能擔起控球的重任,也會讓騎士控衛更具威脅力。然而想要換到Bibby的代價卻是Gooden,這是騎士給不起的。就算是最近廣受歡迎的大V,他的球技也不像Gooden那麼的全面。而且騎士現有的前場不但在先發或深度上都比聯盟平均為高,用一部份前場來換一位正要從生涯高峰下滑的後衛,並不值得。

What this team could still use, though, is some depth. Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones have hardly panned out for this team since they signed on and Shannon Brown didn't show a ton last season to make anyone think of him as a primary backup on a Finals team. While money is tight for this team right now, they have to learn to exploit their status as a title contender in the way that San Antonio, Phoenix and even Boston do and get some title-hungry vets on the cheap. The trick here isn't trying to maintain their position in the East so much as it is trying to make sure up-and-comers don't leapfrog them before they've had their day in the sun.

這支球隊其實還有一點深度可資開發。Marshall跟Damon Jones簽約以來的表現實在差強人意,S.Brown去年也沒展現過半點能讓人信服他是「打進finals的球隊的替補」的水準。既然球隊薪資是如此吃緊,騎士應該要像太陽、馬刺或塞隊看齊,用低價簽入對戒指飢渴的老將帶領他們衝冠軍。這策略與其說是保持騎士在東區競爭力,或者該說確保維持潛力新人不至於在球隊登頂之前就流失。

The fact is that this team still needs LeBron James to be superhuman each and every game in the postseason to have a shot at winning just about every series. With his summer commitments to Team USA and - ideally - many more long playoff runs in the future, the physical toll this could exact on James could knock him out before his time. A gift like LeBron is not one to be feasted on ravenously, it is one to be savored and accented and drawn-out for as long as possible.

事實是這球隊仍然需要LBJ在季後賽的每場系列戰投進致勝一球。就如這個夏天他在美國代表隊做的一樣,理論上往後還有更多的季後賽之路等著他。但在這此之前說不定身體上積累的疲勞會先讓他付出代價,像LBJ這樣上天恩賜的球員不該被過度使用,他應該要好好被重視並珍惜。

Make no mistake, James is this team's meal ticket, and if he ever catches wise to the fact that they are just wearing him out instead of complimenting him then all of those never-ending rumors detailing his exit strategy from Ohio may prove to be not so far off the mark after all.

請搞清楚,LBJ是騎士的至寶。如果有一天他發現球團不是尊重他,而只是消費他的時候,那些關於他要離開俄亥俄的謠言,很快就要變得不只是謠言了。

PROBABLE STARTING LINE-UP

PG - Larry Hughes
Head coach Mike Brown managed to hide Larry Hughes and his hugely disappointing stint as a Cavalier here late last season and it mostly worked for the team, until they reached the playoffs. Hughes has had one exceptional season to his name - in Washington - and yet people still act like his stabilizing persona is just around the corner. Face it, Hughes is a wildly inconsistent player who may be able to look as though he's shaken out of his career-long slump long enough to make someone think he's turned a corner, but then he just goes ahead a falls into his slump again. It should surprise no one if Daniel Gibson finds his way into this spot permanently before the end of the season and watch Larry Hughes come off of the bench at $12 million per year until his contract expires is 2010. He's been given such latitude so far on this team because of his contract but now that this team is really playing for something it can't worry about whether or not they are going to get a return on their investment.

上個球季末期布朗教頭計畫性地把Hughes跟他令人失望的表現隱藏起來,直到季後賽。Hughes在巫師有過很好的一季,後來人們以為他的穩定表現會持續下去。面對現實吧,Hughes是個超不穩定男,而且受個傷就看起來要報廢到天荒地老一樣,花費好長時間復原後又會再受傷。我們並不驚訝看到下季結束前Gibson在這個位置打出心得,然後Hughes拖著每年一千兩百萬的大合約去坐板凳坐到2020年。基於球隊給他的大合約,秀詩現在其實滿自由的,而且現在也沒時間顧慮到底這筆投資能回收多少了。

SG - Sasha Pavlovic
While Pavlovic is hardly the permanent solution to this team's shooting guard spot, he is fine for now at knocking down open shots to keep his role for the foreseeable future. He shoots a decent enough percentage from behind the arc (40%) to open up the floor for LeBron's driving game and that is a huge improvement for this team, but he himself has serious issues putting the ball on the floor and his defense and rebounding are not nearly good enough for a 6' 7" player with his athleticism. His skill set is still painfully one-dimensional but he's the best they have at the moment so he's a starter by default, just so long as no one expects any kind of consistency in the post-season.

Sasha很難成為騎士SG的最佳解,但是現階段他能投進空檔球,就短期而言已經足夠勝任愉快了。四成的三分命中率足以讓他分散對手防陣,LBJ遂得以表演切入,也對球隊有所貢獻。但他的運球是個問題,以六呎七的身高來講防守跟籃板也不夠出色。技術面來講Sasha還是很單調,但是現階段他是球隊表現最好的,所以可以先發——只要大家不對他在季後賽的穩定性有過度期待的話。

SF - LeBron James
There is actually nothing new or useful to say about LeBron James at this point. There is no story, no line of thinking, no words left unsaid when it comes to LeBron James. He and this team are synonymous with each other and the NBA just hopes that his game and his charisma can pull in more viewers than it did last June.

沒有什麼好多形容的,也沒有更多話題可聊了。James與騎士隊幾乎能劃上等號,聯盟只希望他的活力今年能吸引比去年六月更多的人買票看球。

PF - Drew Gooden
The ever under-appreciated forward returns for another season to hear about why he should be dealt or replaced with Varejao or some other malarkey. Yes, anyone would wish for more than 11.1 points per game from Gooden, but Mike Brown runs such a horrendous offensive scheme - sixth least effective in the NBA - that it's a miracle Gooden still manages to get 11.1 points on 47% shooting, so it's hard to blame him for the output. Of course this team and the fans that support it wish that Carlos Boozer was still manning the paint Cavs, but he isn't. Gooden is what they have and given the contracts awarded shortsightedly to Zydrunas Ilgauskus and Larry Hughes, he is probably the best this team can afford. Trust is needed when one says 'it could be a lot worse', just ask Sacramento why they want him.

這個常常不被重視的大前鋒,又一次要收聽有關他為何要被交易或被大V等什麼人給取代的流言。人人都可以期待Gooden的得分可以比11.1分還多,但在布朗教頭指揮的超爛進攻——效率全聯盟倒數第六——之下,Gooden還是以47%命中率拿下11.1分,這是個奇蹟,所以我們不能抱怨他的產能。球隊跟球迷當然都希望主宰騎士禁區的還是Boo$er,但事實上孤燈是球隊現有的,而且短時間看起來合約還比Hughes跟大Z來的划算。當孤燈被批評比Boo$er遜色的時候,我們應該給予支持,問問看國王為何執意要拿他來換Bibby就知道了。

C - Zydrunas Ilgauskus
There is this sense that when Ilgauskus started battling his foot problems it was especially frustrating because he was one of the few truly talented centres left in the NBA. Little did he know that by the time he got himself healed and ready for action again he'd be doing so in an era where players like him are not only rare but rendered obsolete. It's an unfair reality that Ilgauskus must face each game but centres like him just aren't what teams are anchoring themselves with, anymore. Of course, Mike Brown could one day wake up and realize that he could use that fact to his advantage, but that seems less likely every time it's uttered, so we'll just pretend that it is an unfortunate affliction of the times that Ilgauskus, the longest-serving Cav, seems so irrelevant to their cause.

當初大Z開始跟他的腳傷作戰時是很讓人惋惜的,因為他是聯盟少數有天分的中鋒之一。他很少想到當他克服腳傷回來後,這個戰場已經不是這麼需要他,而且甚至用不上他了。這對大Z這位每戰必與,球隊卻不把他當成一塊重要拼圖的中鋒,其實滿辛酸的。當然也許有一天布朗教頭會良心發現,發現這其實是讓球隊更強的籌碼,但恐怕跟過去一樣僅止於說說而已。所以我們就把這位長期效命的Z當成生在一個錯誤的時期吧,他看來會在騎士越來越式微了。
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